title: Foot reconstruction using a serratus anterior muscle flap from the same donor site after failure of a thoracodorsal artery perforator flap.
abstract: The free flap failure rate for the lower extremities is high, which adversely affects limb salvage efforts. In this article, we report a case of failure of a thoracodorsal artery perforator flap, which was simultaneously reconstructed with a serratus anterior muscle flap from the same donor site. A 56-year-old male patient had infected wound for 3 months due to Achilles tendon rupture. We reconstructed the defect using a thoracodorsal artery perforator flap. However, 2 days after the operation, we found the congested flap. We were obliged to discard the whole flap and harvested a serratus anterior muscle flap from the same donor site. The patient's foot healed uneventfully. After flap failure, the use of a second free flap from the same donor site may be an effective and safe procedure in specific cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Wha
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Hun
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Jeong Tae
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Youn Hwan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000637:transplantation; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D060053:Transplant Donor Site